


Tangerine

by Catheeso



Series: my past and your future [6]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beta Read, Butcher Army, Chess Metaphors, Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Execution, Gen, If You Squint - Freeform, Manberg Festival on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Morally Ambiguous Character, Post-Manberg Festival on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade-centric (Video Blogging RPF), by my lovely friend once more, dream has no moral backbone he does whatever he wants, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29508807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catheeso/pseuds/Catheeso
Summary: Dream gets inspired by a public execution.“I wish I could make you somebody else.”
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: my past and your future [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2109177
Comments: 2
Kudos: 174





	Tangerine

“How sure are you of this decision?” Dream asked.

“I don’t know,” answered Ranboo honestly. That was normal. The kid seemed to be more honest around Dream than his actual friends. Dream didn’t quite know why. Maybe it’s because Ranboo didn’t think he was real or talking to a disembodied voice was easier than looking into someone’s eyes and admitting your own faults.

He would know, he wears a mask for a reason. No eye contact if they can’t see where your eyes are.

“They’re going to kill him,” Dream said. “Are you fine with them killing him?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s going to be blood on your hands. Do you want that?”

Ranboo glanced down at his unstained hands and swallowed, “no.”

“So are you going to stop them?”

Quieter: “No.”

“You’re a coward, Ranboo,” Dream said flatly. There was no way that the admin could sugar-coat the truth. The cold, hard truth of the matter.

“I know,” Ranboo whispered, closing his eyes and looking away from the stage in front of him. Ignoring the way Phil stared at the Butcher Army with such disdain that Fundy looked to be on the brink of tears. Ignoring the way Ghostbur was oblivious to the seriousness of the situation at hand. Ignoring the way Techno held his head high even at the prospect of inevitable death.

Technoblade never dies, yet here he was, at an execution, trapped in a cage with no items and only his pride. Dream almost felt sad for his rival. Almost.

There were no clever tricks in the book for Techno to use. Not that he was one for clever tricks, more brute force, but Techno was very intelligent and liked to have plans. There was no plan for this, though, Dream knew. There was no plan for how to escape an execution like this.

Whether or not Technoblade died was not a concern to Dream, not really. Ranboo is the only person who can see him and Techno had never been a useful pawn before. Mostly because, just like his brothers, he was too smart to be used as a pawn.

In this large and complicated game of chess, Techno and his brothers were wild cards. Pieces with undefined rules on the opposing’s side. Helping them would only hurt himself.

But maybe it was different now. Dream did value Techno as an acquaintance and possibly friend. Friends matter much more now that Dream’s lost most of them and he’s also been reduced to a pawn. He cannot move his own piece anymore and is at the whim of somebody else, whether that be Ranboo or the other Dream.

Tubbo read out a list of crimes that Techno had committed and stood by the switch next to Quackity, ready to drop the anvil on Techno’s head.

(It was weird to Dream that Tubbo had chosen to form an army centered around an execution. Weird that Tubbo, who knew what it was like to be publicly executed, would inflict that pain onto someone else. Maybe Tubbo wanted Techno to feel the same way he did.

Dream would call this poetic, but Tubbo would need to be holding a crossbow loaded with fireworks for that. And Tubbo just frankly wasn’t strong enough to do that.)

Tubbo took a steadying breath and put his hand on the lever. Dream watched with cruel interest. The Butcher Army leaned forward while Phil leaned back.

Punz dropped down in front of them with TNT and quickly lit it, setting off a loud _bang_.

Dream reared back, stunned, and watched as Ranboo stumbled. Fundy let out a war cry and charged at Punz, but the mercenary was ready with more TNT.

The execution quickly dissolved into chaos. Dream watched it all with morbid fascination. Looks like somebody was getting exploded that night after all.

“Just pull the fucking lever!” Quackity screamed at Tubbo. Ranboo flinched back, looked around wildly, before darting off behind the buildings. He was running away. Dream expected more from him.

“You’re running away?” Dream scoffed. “Seriously? Go back and help Phil!”

Ranboo stopped and turned, looking back at Phil’s house. “You want me to help Phil? Why?”

 _Why?_ That was a good question. Dream didn’t know. It came out instinctively, he hadn’t really thought about it. _Why?_

 _Because it’s the right thing to do_ , a tiny part of his brain whispered.

“It’s the right thing for you to do,” Dream said, stumbling slightly over his words. Ranboo paid it no mind and crept back.

“Should I save Phil?”

“Yes.”

“Would it help me?”

“Maybe.”

“I don’t think it would help me.”

“Since when did that matter to you?”

Ranboo stood still and blinked once. Twice. He then sprung into action and broke one of Phil’s windows.

The elder whipped around at the noise, having been focused on the battle still ongoing outside, and looked at Ranboo with suspicion.

“I’m breaking you out,” Ranboo blurted. “Please don’t tell Tubbo.”

“What about my ankle monitor?” Phil asked slowly, walking towards the hole Ranboo made.

“It doesn’t actually work, Tubbo and Quackity couldn’t figure it out and lied to Fundy about it so they wouldn’t be embarrassed.”

“Why are you helping me?” Phil’s voice is guarded, his shoulders tense, but he’s climbing out of the broken window anyways to run away from L’manberg.

“It’s the right thing for me to do,” Ranboo said, repeating Dream’s words.

“For _you_ to do?”

“Mhm.”

Phil looked at Ranboo like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Like Ranboo was one big magic trick that if you looked hard enough, you could figure out how the magician did it. Ranboo, of course, was not a magic trick, but Phil smiled slightly at the kid and Dream had to wonder if the man had figured out the magician’s secret.

The thudding of hooves interrupted them, Techno arriving on Carl. He had a bloody pickaxe in his hand and a splatter of red on his outfit, but a neutral look on his face. He studied Phil and Ranboo before eventually dipping his head. A silent acknowledgment.

Techno was smarter than people gave him credit for.

“Goodbye, Ranboo,” Phil said quietly. “Visit us sometime.”

“I will,” Ranboo promised.

Dream idly wondered who helped Techno because Punz wouldn’t have interrupted that unprompted.

Ranboo stood silently and watched as the two anarchists disappeared over the hills and mountains of the country, entering into unclaimed territory. Dream watched equally as silent, feeling something stir up in him.

Ranboo had listened to him. Ranboo had listened to Dream. This could be a step forward. Dream could finally control his piece again. He would no longer be a pawn.

“Let’s hold an exorcism,” Dream said. Ranboo’s head snapped towards him.

“What?!”


End file.
